She'd hugged the knowledge of her pregnancy to her chest like a precious secret. Until today, the baby was hers and hers alone. Of course, she knew she'd have to tell Jack eventually, but speaking to him about it would be painful for them both. She hadn't had any contact with Jack at all. Jack had tried to get her whereabouts out of Rachel, but Rachel had promised not to breathe a word. The time to tell Jack had been quickly approaching, but the events of the day had hurried the inevitable.
Grace just didn't know how to approach Jack. What if he was with Matthew? She assumed he was. What if Matthew still didn't want a child? That would make things difficult for Jack, not to mention the baby when he grew older. How would she deal with that? This was far from a perfect situation to bring a child into.
She'd known right away she couldn't work with Jack. So once she was able to gather her wits, Grace had contacted Luke. He would be perfect for the partnership at Artifex. She'd had him in mind for the position all along if she turned it down. It was an awkward conversation at best, but Luke listened to her idea with an open mind, as always. Artifex needed a CFO with a mind for improving their operations to help grow the business. Luke was an expert at just that. He also wanted to leave New York for greener pastures. It didn't get much greener than Washington State. She pitched the idea to Luke and let it go. He would think about it and get back to her or he wouldn't. It hadn't taken Luke long to make up his mind to come out to have a look at the company himself.
Within a couple of months Luke was on board at Artifex and Rachel thanked her profusely and regularly for helping to find the perfect person to replace her. Not that she'd ever actually gotten her foot in the door.
The friendship between Luke and Grace had somehow survived Luke's confession of love and Grace's subsequent rejection of that love. They were both busy with work but their pattern of weekly dinners and frequent phone calls had resumed on the west coast. Luke just wasn't affectionate like he used to be.
Grace was doing freelance consulting from home. She bought a house with a huge yard in a beautiful neighborhood with top rated schools for her and the baby. Her plan was to keep working from home for a few years after the baby came. The baby that no one but Grace knew was coming. She knew Jack would never want to be parted from his child. Grace wouldn't want that either. Her son would need his dad. So she didn't even entertain the thought of moving back home.
When Grace registered at the hospital she'd given Luke as her emergency contact. So when she lost consciousness while talking to her new neighbor, 911 was called. When she was still out of it in the emergency room the hospital had given Luke a call. Luke happened to be in a meeting with Jack and Rachel when the call came in. So they all rushed to her side. Unfortunately, Grace had developed gestational diabetes. The test for that wasn't performed until between twenty-four and twenty-eight weeks. Grace was just twenty-three weeks and the test was planned for her next monthly visit. They were keeping her for observation and education on the necessary diet changes to prevent an episode like this in the future.
She looked around the room at three of the people that meant the most to her in this world as she stroked her rounding belly through the hospital gown. And there they all sat looking shocked and accusatory. Luke's expression was far more hurt than angry. She'd been hiding her little belly from Rachel and Luke but it seemed to have doubled in the last week alone. Jack spoke first. He was staring at her belly warily.
"Whose baby is it, Grace, mine or Luke's?" He got straight to the point, didn't he?
"Jack!" Rachel hissed.
"Wait a damn minute, Landry. Grace and I have never been together," Luke was explaining, but Grace was too upset for words. Why hadn't she expected Jack to suspect the baby wasn't his?
"It's my baby, Jack. Get out. All of you." She rolled to her side and waited for them to leave. She didn't need Jack. She could do this on her own. She listened to the shuffle of feet move away and the sound of the door shutting. Grace began to cry then. She'd cried more during this pregnancy than she had the entire rest of her life. She would be just fine, she told herself. She could do this. If she had to, she'd move back home so her family could help her raise the baby.
A hand gently gripped her foot, startling Grace. She looked down to see Jack standing there. "I asked you to leave."
"Why didn't you tell me? How did this happen? I'm in shock here. Don't you think I deserve some explanation? Luke is your emergency contact, not me. He moved across the country to be close to you. What am I supposed to think?"
"I didn't tell you because I was still hurt and not ready. If you don't know how it happened I'm not going to tell you. Luke is my friend and I trust him. And he did not move here for me! He moved for the position at Artifex!" Grace gave him her back again. Jack knew nothing about Luke's confession of love. It was none of his business.
"Mhm. I see you're still blind to Luke's level of devotion. He's here for you. The job was a bonus and an excuse."
"You can leave now." Grace would have to think about Luke later. Much later. Like maybe when she wasn't carrying another man's child.
"I'm sorry, Grace. Fuck!"
She rolled over to her back resigned to lay all the cards on the table and let Jack do what he would. "I was on the shot. They tell you it's ninety-nine point eight percent effective. In my research since I found out about my pregnancy I've learned there's a ninety-four percent success rate. Notice how those numbers don't match? You are the only man I have ever had unprotected sex with. I'm twenty-three weeks now. So our son was conceived during that first visit to Seattle. Likely in an alley. Won't that be a lovely story for the grandkids?"
Jack stepped closer. As she spoke his expression had shifted from disbelief to awe.
"We're having a son?" He asked and looked at her belly like it held the greatest treasure known to man. She knew the feeling.
"Yes, it's a little man." She was finally able to smile just a little. "I have sonogram pictures. I'll give you one." She sighed.
"I came back to Seattle a day early because I thought I would pop if I didn't tell you right away and I wanted to tell you face to face. I'd been scared shitless that you would feel like I was only marrying you because of the baby. But I think we both knew I was going to accept your proposal. I just needed to do things in the correct order for me to feel complete."
"I knew. I was just waiting for you to get all of your beans in order." He smiled but it was a sad smile. She decided not to take offense to the bean counter reference.
"Then I was terrified that you would want to marry me . . . only because of the baby. You know, after the thing with Matthew."
Jack nodded, seemingly trying hard to understand her dilemma. The baby kicked and Grace jumped. He was strong already. Jack leapt forward.
"Are you okay? Are you in pain?"
"I'm fine." She smiled. "It's just the baby. He's got a hell of a kick already. I can't imagine how it will feel when he's bigger." She reached out her hand for Jack's and placed it on her belly where she could feel the baby moving. Jack concentrated on her belly looking anxious but eager. The baby thumped his hand and rolled for good measure. Jack's face lit up with the joy of discovery.
"Our baby. That's our baby boy." Jack said reverently.
EPILOGUE
Grace lovingly caressed her massive belly as she waddled across the lawn. She was supposed to be resting but bed rest was enough to make a woman go insane. Some fresh air would do her good. Grace's toe burrowed into the cool, thick carpet of grass and she breathed deeply. She had to lean back slightly and place a hand on her lower back to feel balanced. The weight of carrying two babies was taking a toll on her formerly lean frame. She was lucky she hadn't developed gestational diabetes with her second pregnancy. She suspected the fact that she changed her diet as soon as she was sure she was pregnant had helped this go round.
After two years of marriage she and Luke decided it was time to have another child. Fate had stepped in and blessed them with two. A boy and a girl would be occupying the nursery very soon. Grace was worried about her ability to care for two babies at once, especially when it came to feeding, but she wasn't alone in the struggle.
A pair of strong arms wrapped around her rather massive circumference from behind. Her husband kissed her temple and swayed a little with her. She was totally busted. Luke had been like a warden since the doctor told her to stay off of her feet. The babies were nearly full-term now and they'd be a family of five any day now. Grace had to think about that for a moment. She supposed they'd be a family of seven including Jack and Matthew.